How to Write Jump Cuts in a Screenplay

Jump cuts are something we usually see only in a film. They are sometimes referred to as quick cuts or montages.

They’re a way of sending information to the audience at a rapid pace, cutting from one action to another, jumping forward in time. One second the character is packing his bangs the next, he’s on a train out of there. 

How would you write this?

How do you write jump cuts in a screenplay? You write jump cuts in a screenplay by writing “CUT TO:” as an editing direction on the right-hand side of your script. Then you write the new action or location below in a new line. 

Jump Cut Example:

INT. HOUSE - DAY

John rushes to pack his duffle bag full of anything in eyes view. 

                                                          CUT TO:

Books fly into the bag.

                                                          CUT TO:

Old shoes get stuffed in on top. 

                                                          CUT TO:

John holds a gun. He handles it with care, placing it in the front duffle pocket. 

Every “CUT TO:” shows something different being done to this bag until we get to an object distinct from the rest. Which then stops the rapid pace of action by John. 

If you want just to have one jump cut in your scene, one CUT TO: works for this also.

Example:

INT. HOUSE - DAY

John rushes to pack his duffle bag full of anything in eyes view. 

                                                          CUT TO:

INT. TRAIN - NIGHT

John is slumped over his bag snoring. 

Now, this is one way of doing it that I’ve seen reading screenplays, but like every screenplay guideline, there are multiple ways of jump-cutting in scripts. 

More on that below. 

Different ways of writing Jump cuts in a Screenplay

1.) Jump Cut TO:

Very old school and why I didn’t write it as the official way above. Sometimes seen as the mark of an amateur, but it is an option. The transition CUT TO: essentially replaced the jump in time in scripts.

Example:

INT. HOUSE - DAY

John rushes to pack his duffle bag full of anything in eyes view. 

                                                         JUMP CUT TO:

Books fly into the bag.

                                                         JUMP CUT TO:

Old shoes get stuffed in on top. 

                                                         JUMP CUT TO:

John holds a gun. He handles it with care, placing it in the front duffle pocket. 

Remember, in screenwriting; there is no official way to do something. We can only look at past scripts as guidelines for the spec scripts we write now. 

2.) Series of Shots as Jump Cuts

In some scripts, we see jump cuts shown as “SERIES OF SHOTS,” Which is essentially the same thing as several “CUT TO:” back to back. The difference here can be that series of shots are seen as more quick cuts. 

Example:

INT. HOUSE - DAY

John, rushing, packs his duffle bag full of anything in eyes view. 

SERIES OF SHOTS

-- Books fly into the bag.

-- Old shoes get stuffed in on top. 

-- Socks gets punched inside.

END SERIES OF SHOTS

John holds a gun. He handles it with care, placing it in the front duffle pocket. 

I usually use this way because it doesn’t take up as much of the page as “CUT TO:” 

3.) Montages as Jump Cuts

Jump cuts can also be considered montages, especially if your jumping over large spaces of time or jump-cutting between two different storylines like a Rocky training video. 

Example:

INT. JOHNS HOUSE - DAY

John, rushing, packs his duffle bag full of anything in eyes view. 

INT. ANDREAS HOUSE - DAY

Sarah dresses for the long drive and packs her bag. 

BEGIN MONTAGE 

-- John throws books into the bag.

-- Andreas's old shoes get stuffed in on top. 

-- John punches socks inside.

-- Andrea hustles on leggings. 

END MONTAGE

INT. JOHNS HOUSE - DAY

John holds a gun. He handles it with care, placing it in the front duffle pocket. 

You can see that in your head, right? 

We were cutting in between both people, and then we reintroduced the Johns scene heading to a serious note. 

Jump Cuts in a Screenplay Examples

Lets look at some examples from professional scripts.

One of my favorite examples of a jump cut is in the film Reservoir Dogs. Written and directed by Quentin Tarentino.

One great way to use jump cuts is to surprise your reader with an insane amount of action from mundane conversation. The contrast here is impressive.

How professional screenwriters use it.

Another example is from a comedy movie, The 40-year-old Virgin.

During these jump cuts, they indicate that these are quick quicks. And they used the speed dating buzzer to cycle between the dates instead of CUT TO.

Now its time to hear from you:

Did I miss anything?

What did you learn about jump cuts?

How do you plan on using it in your scripts?

Whatever your answer is, let’s hear it in the comments below.

Happy writing.